Additive manufacturing techniques using ink-jet technology are known in the art, for example from US patent publication US2015/144014, wherein a method for generating relief prints is disclosed. Ink-jet technology creates a solid ink layer on top of a substrate. When multiple layers are printed textured structures can be created. A solid ink layer tends to crack, break or chip during finishing after printing like folding, bending, creasing or cutting. Finishing by finishing lines, for example cut paths, folding patterns, etc., may be specified in print job specifications of a print job for printing a relief print. The solid ink layer comprises three parts: a relief part, a white part and a colored skin part. The relief part is deposited on the substrate and covered with a white part to be able to print in full color. The white part is covered with the colored skin part.
Finishing a print job is not meant as completing a print job but as executing finishing actions—post processing steps—by finishing equipment as specified in print job specifications.
For the term “substrate” also the term “media” will be used hereinafter.
Modern UV ink formulations create a more flexible solid ink layer to prevent cracking. However, when multiple ink layers are printed to create a textured print a total ink package becomes more stiff and brittle, and thus cracking will occur. Besides this, flexible ink formulations are less suitable for textured multiplayer printing.
The known methods relate to single object manufacturing. If one desires to fold the printed object, to crease the printed object, to bend the printed object or to cut the printed object, there is a significant risk of damaging the printed object.
Another problem qua colors of cutting edges arises when cutting a textured print. The height sides along the cut line may show the relief and the white part according to the colors of the relief and white parts for the pixels at the location of the cut line which may differ from the colors of the color part for the pixels at the location of the cut line.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome or at least mitigate said disadvantages and provide a method of printing for directly manufacturing the intended object which can be finished after printing, i.e. folded, creased, bended or cut with elimination of the risk of damaging the printed object due to the folding, creasing, bending or cutting and with elimination of the above-mentioned cutting edge color problem.